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Myth and history are two different ways of telling stories. History tries tot ell stories that create an accurate record. Myth, meanwhile, doesn't necessarily mean "something that didn't happen." It's more about telling a story that offers a meaning or explanation within the experience of life. Both types of storytelling were widely used in ancient Mesopotamia - and both are used in the Bible.
The world of the Old testament - A curious Kids' guide to the Bible's most ancient stories Marc Olson p 6
The purpose of teaching the text: The Bible is not a history book, although it does contain some historical references and events. The Bible is a theological book that provides key insights to enable people to understand important insights about God, what God is like, and how God wants people to live. Therefore, the purpose of the Bible is to present religious truth. Without understanding this distinction, students may interpret the creation stories in Genesis as scientific, historical truth, when the authors intend these stories to be read to reveal religious truth. God created the world from love, enabling humans to make their own choices and live with the consequences of those choices. Whatever science tells us about how the world was made is scientific, historical truth for our time. Likewise, the Gospel authors never set out to tell all the historical details of the life of Jesus. Instead, they set out to write stories about Jesus that are filled with religious truth that has relevance for their communities. If the Gospels were accurate historical records of the life of Jesus then only one Gospel needed to be written. For example, in the creation texts: Science – the How of creation History – the When of creation Religion – the Why of creation . BCE
Jewish understandings of God from the Two hands of God - Creation & Scripture Dr Mary Coloe
Jewish understandings of God from the Two hands of God - Creation & Scripture Dr Mary Coloe
Primeval History
The 2 Creation accounts in Genesis chapters 1-11 reveal that God’s creation was good, ordered, and harmonious and that woman and man are created equal in the image and likeness of God.(p38-43)
Patriarchs and Matriarchs 1850 (BCE).
They came to understand God as ONE, a personal relationship with humanity, help Moses have a family and land. (p44)
The Exodus of the Israelites and the Covenant 1700 to 1290 (BCE).
The understanding that one God was above all other gods came to Moses when God revealed God’s name—Yahweh, meaning “I am the One who is always present.”
They came to understand God as a powerful soldier who fought for those in trouble and who wanted people to be free. (p46)
Settling the Promised Land 1250 to 1000 (BCE)
The purpose of teaching the text: The story of creation is actually multiple stories from different times and different authors highlighting various elements of this overarching story. These stories are rich in meaning and provide religious truths rather than scientific or historical truths. Therefore, these stories are sacred myths (they tell truth about God rather than telling scientific truth). Genesis 1 highlights God as creator and human beings as made in the image of God. In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus teaches about creation (God’s care for creation and the goodness of creation, which includes humans).
Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:
• As no one has ever seen God, what special stories do you think we might find in the Bible?
• What can we learn about God and creation from this story?
• What can we learn about how God wants our world to be?
• What can we learn about how God wants people to live?
• Why do you think God would want people to live that way?
• Why do you think we have different stories about creation in the Bible?
• At our school, do we have just one story or do we have lots of different stories about our school?
• How could each story help people to understand something special about our school?
• Did all the Bible authors live at the same time?
• Why do you think different Bible authors wrote different stories?
• As Jesus would have grown up learning the stories of creation from the book of Genesis, what do you think Jesus learnt about God from these stories? BCE Prep Core Texts
A creation story describes the beginnings of humanity, earth, life, and the universe, often as a deliberate act by one or more deities. The term creation myth is sometimes used in a derogatory way to describe stories which are still believed today, as the term myth may suggest something which is absurd or fictional. While these beliefs and stories need not be a literal account of actual events, they may yet express ideas that are perceived by some people and cultures to be truths at a deeper or more symbolic level.
A creation story describes the beginnings of humanity, earth, life, and the universe, often as a deliberate act by one or more deities. The term creation myth is sometimes used in a derogatory way to describe stories which are still believed today, as the term myth may suggest something which is absurd or fictional. While these beliefs and stories need not be a literal account of actual events, they may yet express ideas that are perceived by some people and cultures to be truths at a deeper or more symbolic level.
In the Creation texts:
In the Creation texts:
Science - the How of creation
History - the When of creation
Religion - the Why of creation
Science - the How of creation
History - the When of creation
Religion - the Why of creation
The purpose of teaching the text:
In order to appropriately interpret biblical texts it is important to understand the genre or text type. A newspaper is filled with multiple text types or genres such as cartoons, classified advertisements, narratives, editorials, recipes and weather reports. To make sense of the text the reader tunes in to what type of a text it is, as the text would be interpreted quite differently to the author’s intention if one read a cartoon the same way as an advertisement. Therefore, the same applies to the skills required for reading the Bible. The book of Leviticus is filled with legal codes that provided people with laws for living in their time. No one today would read all these laws and interpret them literally for today. While the Bible has books considered by scholars to be ‘historical narratives’, these books tell sacred stories rather than literal, historical fact. While the Bible is not devoid of history, it can be impossible to determine what texts are written through the lens of history, and what texts use history to enable the author to write a story of immense meaning for people of faith. Therefore, the naming of text types requires explicit teaching, as well as how to interpret different text types.
Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:
• Why might biblical authors have chosen to use different text types?
• What could happen if we read all these texts as if they were the same type of writing? What could happen if everyone read the Bible as historical text (everything is literally true then and now)?
• What does the word ‘myth’ mean as a text type in the Bible?
• What is the difference between ‘sacred truths’ and ‘this is all made up’?
• How would a person interpret the Bible if they believed the creation stories were myths? How would a person interpret the Bible if they believed the creation stories were science reports?
• When older members tell family stories does it mean that everything actually happened, or can they add some details along the way to make the story more meaningful and interesting?
• What evidence would we look for in the texts to determine whether historical narratives are factual stories of history or sacred stories to tell about the Jewish people’s relationship with God? BCE worlds of the text year 4
Myth
method - myths use compelling stories, situations, and characters. Sometimes these characters were regular people.
Purpose - Explain, educate, entertain, and explroe. Myths take on big questions like "Why do people do bhad things?" or "Why doesn't everyone in the world speak the same language?"
Means of Communication - Myths often got started as stories told around campfires, passed from generation to generation for centuries - before they were finally written down later.
The world of the Old testament - A curious Kids' guide to the Bible's most ancient stories Marc Olson p 7
History
Method - History tracks big moments of special interest, and usually concerns itself with powerful people like military leaders, priests and kings.
Purpose - Make sure that people, events, and outcomes get remembered. Sometimes, history was used by the powerful to make sure things got remembered in a certain way - one that made them look good!
Means of communication - History was recorded inwriting, wit monuments, and in pictographs or stone carvings.
The world of the Old testament - A curious Kids' guide to the Bible's most ancient stories Marc Olson p 7
Genesis chapters 1-11
Genesis chapters 1-11
The first eleven chapters of Genesis contain stories of the origins of the Jewish people.
The first eleven chapters of Genesis contain stories of the origins of the Jewish people.
- These stories arose out of the tribal and oral traditions of these ancient nomads.
- As stories of origins they have been influenced by their neighbours’ cultures and religions.
- These stories are not history nor are they historical narratives. They are myths. Anybody who tries to maintain the historicity of the Biblical stories of creation will be contradicted from the standpoint of geology, astrology and biology. The stories are not scientific tracts but deeply theological statements about the reality of the world is that it is made by God.
- There are two very different creation accounts in Genesis. The oldest is Genesis 2:2- 25. It is the story centred on humankind with God depicted with human characteristics. Genesis 1:1-2:4 is very different being centred not on humankind but on God.
The question to ask is not,
The question to ask is not,
“Is this really the way things happened?” but rather, “What are the meanings within the stories?”
“Is this really the way things happened?” but rather, “What are the meanings within the stories?”
The purpose of teaching the text: The biblical stories of creation reveal that God calls humans into a covenantal relationship, which is a sacred agreement. These covenants are seen by those in the Judeo-Christian traditions as universal stories for all humanity. Therefore, these stories need to be read as sacred myths, meaning that they do not present historical, scientific truth but they present deep religious truths about God, the meaning and purpose of the cosmos and the role of humanity.
Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:
• What is it that God promises through these stories?
• What is it that humans agree to through these stories?
• Are these sacred agreements still appropriate and needed today?
Genesis 1 to 11 Scripture workshop notes.docx.pdfWhat are the meanings of these two creation stories?
What are the meanings of these two creation stories?
The biblical writer(s) intended to teach:
The biblical writer(s) intended to teach:
God is one, not many
God is one, not many
God created by plan, not chance,
God created by plan, not chance,
God created everything good, not evil
God created everything good, not evil
God made the Sabbath special
God made the Sabbath special
Theological Points to Note
The first creation account was never meant to be a scientific treatise. It is rather a primary witness to the profound truth of God who created the universe, who created each one of us, who loves and cares for us, and presents God’s challenge to us to be responsible stewards of the gift of life that we have been given. It is poetry not science.
The first creation account draws heavily on the stories and myths of neighbouring cultures of the time: for example, the Babylonians had a story called the Enuma Elish.
In the first Genesis account of creation, 1:1-2:4 we find an omnipotent, omniscient, all-loving, eternal and infinite God. He creates freely according to His divine wisdom and is motivated by genuine love.
In Genesis, God creates in a very orderly fashion, following a seven-day plan. The number seven was considered a perfect number for the Jews. Although the word day normally means a 24 hour period of time, it can also be used for a season, a particular time or event (e.g. "judgment day"), or a period of time. Consequently, in Genesis, day and the seven-day sequence refer more to a designed, purposeful span of time over which God creates.
God’s authority over all life (God said that . . .) is a reminder of the Covenant at Sinai.
Act of Creation: Liberation and Covenant Relationship with God.
Created world in a state of journeying; incomplete. Humans share in God’s creativity.
Sabbath: People rest because God rested.
Connected to the Priestly writers who were concerned with maintaining faithfulness to the rituals of Judaism.
taken from Brisbane Catholic Education worlds of the text notes
Resources:
Resources:
The First Creation Story, Genesis 1:1-2:4
Worlds of the Text Teacher Background
The Second Creation Story Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-25
Worlds of the Text Teacher Background
The two hands of God - creation and Scripture Mary Coloe Garratt Publishing 2014
Is the Bible True? Types of truth in Scripture
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